spoken any word to heal the bruises of sin-
sick souls, He would not have kept silent.
But He had no words for those who would
but trample the truth under their unholy
feet.
"Christ might have spoken words to
Herod that would have pierced the ears
of the hardened king. He might have
stricken him with fear and trembling by
laying before him the full iniquity of his
life, and the horror of his approaching
doom. But Christ's silence was the severest
rebuke that He could have given. Herod
had rejected the truth spoken to him by
the greatest of the prophets, and no other
message was he to receive. Not a word
had the Majesty of heaven for him. That
ear that had ever been open to human
woe, had no room for Herod's commands.
Those eyes that had ever rested upon the
penitent sinner in pitying, forgiving love
had no look to bestow upon Herod., Those
lips that had uttered the most impressive
truth, that in tones of tenderest entreaty
had pleaded with the most sinful and the
most degraded, were closed to the haughty
king who felt no need of a Saviour."—
The Desire of Ages,
page 730.
Before Pilate the Second Time
9.
How did Pilate report the find-
ings of Herod and himself regarding
Jesus? What did he propose to do
with the prisoner? Luke 23:13-16.
NOTE.—"Here Pilate showed his weak-
ness. He had declared that Jesus was in-
nocent, yet he was willing for Him to be
scourged to pacify His accusers. He would
sacrifice justice and principle in order to
compromise with the mob. This placed
him at a disadvantage. The crowd pre-
sumed upon his indecision, and clamored
the more for the life of the prisoner. If
at the first Pilate had stood firm, refusing
to condemn a man whom he found guilt-
less, he would have broken the fatal chain
that was to bind him in remorse and
guilt as long as he lived. . . . His wavering
and indecision proved his ruin."—The
De-
sire of Ages,
pages 731, 732.
10.
Overridden by the clamor of
the mob, to what unjust punishment
did Pilate subject the Saviour? Luke
23:22; John 19:1-3; Mark 15:15-20.
NOTE.—"The unhappy sufferer was pub-
licly stripped, was tied by the hands in a
bent position to a pillar, and then, on the
tense quivering nerves of the naked back,
the blows were inflicted with leathern
thongs, weighted with jagged edges of
bone and lead. . . . It was a punishment
so hideous that, under its lacerating agony,
the victim generally fainted, often died."—
Farrar,
The Life of Christ,
page 430.
11.
To Pilate's offer of a choice be-
tween Christ and Barabbas, what did
the people say? Matt. 27:15-18, 20;
Mark 15:6-11.
NoTE.—"Pilate now sent for Barabbas
to be brought into the court. He then
presented the two prisoners side by side,
and pointing to the Saviour he said in a
voice of solemn entreaty, 'Behold the
Man!' . .
"There stood the Son of God, wearing
the robe of mockery and the crown of
thorns. Stripped to the waist, His back
showed the long, cruel stripes, from which
the blood flowed freely. His face was
stained with blood, and bore the marks of
exhaustion and pain. . . . Every feature
expressed gentleness and resignation and
the tenderest pity for His cruel foes. . . .
Every line of the countenance of Barabbas
proclaimed him the hardened ruffian that
he was. The contrast spoke to every be-
holder. . . . Even the priests and rulers
were convicted that He [Jesus] was all
that He claimed to
be."—The Desire of
Ages,
page 735.
12.
As they insisted on their choice
of Barabbas, what vital question did
Pilate raise? What was their answer?
Matt. 27:22.
NoTE.—"What shall I do with Jesus who
is called Christ?" R.S.V. Pilate had to do
something with Him. The Jews could not
escape the answer to that question. Every-
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